Due to high demand, brooding UK emo band Moose Blood delivered a special matinee gig before their sold out evening set. With very limited tickets reaching only the luckiest fans, the one-off performance was set to be an unforgettable event.

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The recent Hopeless Records signings prepare to drop their second album ‘Blush’, but before it releases (5/8/16) the band have embarked on an extensive tour journey. With two sets to play in Bournemouth in one day, Moose Blood brought along plenty of promising support acts to showcase some of the band’s favourite new artists. Acoustic singer-songwriter The Lion & The Wolf along with Failure By Design Records’ band Weatherstate kicked off the matinee gig whilst bands Dead! and Sad Blood were on the evening card.

The Lion & The Wolf‘s performance was a heartwarming acoustic set within the The Anvil’s intimate setting. Laden with witty and emotional anecdotes between each Benjamin Francis Leftwich-esque tune, the singer songwriter was able to build a live connection with the audience which is often missing in many artists’ performances. With his incredible higher register singing, the stories behind moving tracks such as ‘Colour’ and ‘My Father’s Eyes’ were told passionately in the still room. His honest and open explanations of each song had the eyes of even the most bearded men beginning to brim with tears. A captivating and heartfelt performance from an artist with little experience but great potential.

Hear it here: Ghosts On Trinity – The Lion & The Wolf

Promptly, Weatherstate made their way through the tiny room towards their equipment to set up and bring raucous energy to The Anvil before the main act. Returning from a tour with WSTR supporting fellow UK pop-punk newcomers Trash Boat, the energetic four piece managed to rile up enough teenage angst by their penultimate banger ‘Stutter’ to  have the room crashing into the day’s first mosh pit – albeit on a small scale. Most impressively however were the members of the crowd who sought to crowd surf the entire six metres of audience space to the front where the majority plummeted into the headbanging band. Single ‘Ill’ lifted from their 2015 EP ‘Dumbstruck’ proved to be their most popular track and served as a vigorous rampage to build the crowd’s excitement prior to Moose Blood’s set.

Hear it here: Ill – Weatherstate

Having made a stop at local burrito bar Mexigo, the highly anticipated band put on their favourite southern and country songs while they tuned up their gear. On Moose Blood‘s previous visit to Bournemouth they were supported by scene favourites Creeper for their stint at the venue Sound Circus. This time around, the band’s fanbase has expanded hugely and so Bournemouth required two sold out shows in one day. Kicking their set off with their upcoming album’s first single ‘Honey’, the enamoured crowd were screaming every lyric instantly. The band also went on to power their gritty emotions through a vast amount of tracks from their first album ‘I’ll Keep You in Mind, From Time to Time’ as well as their poignant EP ‘Moving Home’. In particular, the pop-punker’s performance of the first song they ever wrote together, ‘Bukowski’, seemed to charge the crowd into a frenzy of fists, feet and broken hearts.

Hear it here: Bukowski – Moose Blood

As 15 year-old girls and sweaty giants dived from speakers into the cauldron of yelling fans, the band performed ‘Knuckles’ – another romantic yet frantic single from ‘Blush’. Moose Blood closed on ‘Gum’, a song which escalates from a stripped back acoustic first verse to a thrashing chorus from the pleading vocalist. Leaving the audience eagerly yearning for an encore, the band cleared the stage to catch their breath before the night’s big performance. They later released their third single from ‘Blush’ entitled ‘Sulk’ – a delicate song of realisation and ruined romance that would have made for a touching exclusive final song. This soul twisting ballad is one of emo prowess and gives even more reason to associate the band with veterans Brand New and American Football due to their combination of emo, pop-punk and indie rock.

Hear it here: Sulk – Moose Blood

4.1/5

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Written by: James Wijesinghe